


All Good Questions Come Too Late

by misura



Category: Defiance (TV)
Genre: Community: smallfandomfest, Gen, Post-Season/Series 01 Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-05-27
Packaged: 2018-01-26 18:49:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1698821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Irisa <i>becomes</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Good Questions Come Too Late

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fahrbotdrusilla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fahrbotdrusilla/gifts).



> this is very, very speculative and 100% guaranteed to be jossed in about two weeks or so.
> 
> also: I'm aware the Kaziri is one war ship, singular. it just talks like it's not.
> 
> in conclusion: I had a blast writing this, regret nothing and can't wait to see what will actually happen.

_We are Kaziri,_ the voices tell her.

"Who _are_ you?" It's hard to talk when you're falling down. Easy to scream.

Irisa's never been much of a screamer, though.

 _Awakened,_ the voices whisper.

" _What_ are you?" Presumably, she's talking to the war ship, although Nolan didn't mention anything about it being able to talk.

Silence.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Impact.

 

"Looked like you were in a tight spot there for a while, lawkeeper," Rafe says, which is rich, really, coming from a guy who can barely lift a gun.

Nolan is not a reckless man. He's been accused of being imprudent, on occasion. An idiot. A hothead, who speaks before he can think. (He does, too. Can't really remember any time when thinking first would've kept him out of the _shtako_ he got himself in.)

"Actually, pretty sure I got killed," he says.

"Huh," Rafe says. There's blood on his (Nolan's) jacket, but the skin underneath's clean, and whole. "So what, you got better?"

"Yeah," Nolan says, sliding back the safety on his gun. "Something like that."

"Some guys have all the luck." Rafe stares at the distant town, the lights. The E-Rep convoys.

"Yeah," Nolan says. "And then there's guys like us, who need to do the dirty work."

 

 _See,_ Irzu says. _I kept my promise. Now keep yours._

 _Kill,_ the Kaziri whisper. _Destroy._

"What do you want me to do?" Irisa asks.

 

"Amanda," Datak says.

She is proud and fierce and magnificent, her clothes muddy and stained. There's blood on her face.

There's blood on his hands. The same color.

 _Humans,_ he thinks.

"You've got some balls, coming here," she says. "You expect me to actually _help_ you? After everything you did?"

"You will," Datak says. He wants to slam his fist against something. "You will help me, Amanda." Her face would be massively satisfying, he thinks. "That is, if you want to see your sister again. Alive."

"Datak." She smiles. That is all. He takes one step back. Two. "I'm only going to tell you this once, so I want you to listen to me. All right?"

No Castithan male can be intimidated by a mere human. "I'm listening." Especially not a female.

"Go to hell," she says. "And don't you dare harm my sister."

He wants to ask her _or else?_. She's a nobody. A criminal with a price on her head. (The idea of turning her in to E-Rep and claiming it presents itself and is discarded almost immediately. E-Rep are _JA-ni-shup_ \- people without honor.)

(Also, there is the small, unfortunate matter of Colonel Marsh.)

"Fine," he says, reaching up to brush his hair back. Forgetting about the blood. "Then let me help _you_. You need allies, Amanda, and the name of Tarr still means something, in this town."

"The enemy of my enemy?" She doesn't mention the blood in his hair. "And all that."

"And all that," he agrees. "Let's kill these _ga-NO-pi_."

 

 _We know,_ the Kaziri say.

 _They are too late,_ Irzu says.

"E-Rep's not here for the gulamite mines," Irisa says. "They're here for the war ship."

"Little Wolf," someone says. Softly.

Sukar.

 

"Why?" Yewll asks, crossing her arms.

"Why?" Nolan echoes.

Yewll sniffs at him. "It's a perfectly rational question."

"Because E-Rep's bad people, Doc," Rafe says. "Or had you conveniently forgotten that already? Knock on your head, maybe?"

"Okay, so they're unpleasant. Doesn't explain why I should go out there and risk my life."

"You think they're going to leave you in peace? Because that didn't seem to work out so well for you last time," Nolan says.

Yewll sighs. "Are you really this stupid, or are _you_ the one who got knocked on the coconut?"

"If you're so smart, why don't you tell us what we should do, Doc," Rafe says. "Who knows, maybe we'll listen."

"That would be a first."

"Try," Nolan invites. "Who knows, we might surprise you."

Yewll glowers at him. "The Kaziri."

"What about it?"

 _Humans._ "It's been awakened. Chances are, it's coming here."

"It's old," Nolan says, which is utterly irrelevant. "Irisa'll be inside of it." Which might not be.

"It will make things go boom," Yewll says. "Lots of things. People, too."

"Assuming it still works."

Really slow to get the point, that's humans for you. "It works," Yewll says. "Trust me on this. It works, and it is very, very powerful. More powerful than your tiny human brains can imagine."

"What, like your technology hasn't improved over the past - what, two-thousand years or so?" Nolan looks skeptical.

"We stopped," Yewll says. "We looked at what we'd made, and we were ashamed of ourselves. Or maybe just _shtako_ scared someone'd use it against us one day. I know, I know - that's another thing humans have trouble with. You're running a couple millennia behind when it comes to your moral development."

"I'd argue, but I don't feel so good about my fellow men right now," Nolan says. "Specifically, those over there."

"So what's one ship going to do?" Rafe asks. "I mean, will it even be able to fly? This ain't Earth like it was two millennia ago, Doc. For all we know, it goes up, gets hit by a cloud of razor rain or something and comes straight back down again."

"It's got shields," Yewll says. "Good ones."

 

"Are you real?" Irisa asks.

Irzu blows her a raspberry.

"All of this is real," Sukar says.

 _And yours,_ the Kaziri whisper. _And yours. Irisa Nolan. Devouring Mother. Chosen One. Destroyer and Creator._

"It is Irzu's will that moves us," Sukar says.

"Irzu can kiss my ass," Irisa snaps.

 _Difficult, but not impossible. You have a very flexible body,_ Irzu says.

_What will it cost me?_

_Everything._

_Yes,_ the Kaziri whisper.

"No," Irisa says.

 

"We have fought the Volge, and won," Datak says. "What is a handful of thugs from the Earth Republic compared to that?"

Nobody in the room reminds him that mere days ago, during the debate, he spoke of the thugs as saviors, comrades, people of good will.

 _We ambushed the Volge,_ Amanda thinks. _We lost 41 people._

_We would have lost the town, if not for Nolan and Yewll._

 

 _You are,_ the Kaziri say.

"I hold the keys," Irisa says, ignoring Sukar. Ignoring Irzu. "I am in charge of you."

 _We will,_ the Kaziri say. _You will._

"We'll save them. All of them. And I'll be doing it in my own body."

_We go._

_Now,_ Irisa says, feeling the ship respond. _Now._

 

"One does not tell a child of Irzu what to do," Sukar says, making himself comfortable on a rock. It's quite peaceful down here, he thinks. Pretty, even.

"Tell me about it," Irzu says. "My path flows through her, my ass. Heh. Hey, want to get out of here and find me a bike or something? Or food. Food would be good. This god thing really takes it out of you, you know?"

 

 _Nolan,_ Irisa says.

"Kiddo," he says, staring up at her. "That's a really big weapon you got there. What, you felt the need to compensate for something?"

_I thought I could use it to kill those E-Rep bastards._

_Yes,_ the Kaziri say. _It would be very easy. Hello, Joshua Nolan._

"Christ," Nolan says.

_Haven't met him yet. Might, one day._

"Don't," Nolan says. "Not like this. Not with that."

 _I love you,_ she tells him. _Forgive me._

 _Goodbye, Joshua Nolan,_ the Kaziri say. _We will make sure she remembers you._

"Who's we?" Nolan asks.


End file.
